Final Days
by Hella-Gay-Ships
Summary: Eliza's side of "The World Was Wide Enough".


**July 11th, 1804**

Eliza's arms stretched above her head as she awoke that morning. She reached to the bed beside her, groping the bed for her beloved husband. When she felt nothing but cold sheets, she remembered what he'd said the night before. He'd had a meeting at dawn. Eliza sat up and stretched again before leaving the warm embrace of her bed, exploring her humble home. Children were sleeping, the birds outside were barely making a noise, all was peaceful in her world - aside from her husband's absence. Eliza paused by a small cross the family had hung on one of the walls and mumbled a short prayer to Philip. She knew he'd want to know he was still loved, and how his brothers and sisters were doing. It was the same routine she'd done every morning, with or without Alexander.

The world-weary woman continued her walk through the house to her husband's study. From the doorway, she could see he'd left his desk in disarray - again. She sighed, but couldn't stop the small smile tugging on the corner of her lips. If there was one thing her Alex was good at, it was making a mess. Eliza made her way into the study and started tidying up a little - enough to make it feel less cluttered, but not so much that he wouldn't be able to find whatever he'd need later in the day.

Eliza's ears perked up as a small knock was heard on the front door. The woman went and answered it, greeting the distraught-looking messenger boy. She thanked him for the letter, watching him as he stared at her. The woman smiled at him, an attempt to sooth his uneasiness. She gently pushed extra money into his hand - the scrawny thing looking like he hadn't eaten a piece of bread since the food was created. The letter boy let out a shaky breath.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Hamilton."

The boy's apology confused her. She watched as he hurried away before she quickly opened the letter and read it over. The date at the bottom read July 4th, 1804. It had been almost a week since Hamilton wrote his last letter to his wife.

Eliza threw down the letter and hurried to her room, got dressed, and woke her eldest child, Angelica, and demanded that she look over her siblings while their mother was out. The teenager nodded and started preparing the house for the day while Eliza hurried to the guest room where her sister was residing for a little bit - the contents of the letter burning in the back of her mind.

 _ **'This letter, my very dear Eliza, will not be delivered to you, unless I shall first have terminated my earthly career; to begin, as I humbly hope from redeeming grace and divine mercy, a happy immortality.'**_

Eliza felt tears burning in her eyes. Her and Angelica hurried as fast as their dresses would let them. The letter couldn't be telling the truth, Alexander could _not_ be dead. Not now, not so soon. Her heart hoped the messenger boy delivered the letter by mistake.

 ** _'If it had been possible for me to have avoided the interview, my love for you and my precious children would have been alone a decisive motive. But it was not possible, without sacrifices which would have rendered me unworthy of your esteem.'_**

For the second time in her life, Eliza cursed Alexander's name. However, rather than cursing him in anger, she cursed him out of worry. The Schuyler sisters went straight to the Hudson and demanded a small boat to carry them across. Sailors scrambled over themselves and one another in an attempt to find a boat, but it proved to be a lot more difficult than they'd anticipated. Eliza shook as the captain reported that a small boat couldn't be found. The last two had already been taken earlier that morning.

 _ **'I need not tell you of the pangs I feel, from the idea of quitting you and exposing you to the anguish which I know you would feel. Nor could I dwell on the topic lest it should unman me.'**_

Angelica held Eliza close as she wept. There was no way they'd be able to stop the inevitable, the duel was to begin at dawn, which had peaked over the horizon hours ago. If he was not home now...

Eliza felt a sob rip from deep within her when a small boat made its way over the Hudson, moving slowly as if rowed by Death himself. She knew. She didn't know how, but she knew that her husband was not victorious. When the boat landed on shore, the captain inspected the men on board, and when he turned back to the sisters, he slowly removed his hat.

 _ **'The consolations of Religion, my beloved, can alone support you; and these you have a right to enjoy. Fly to the bosom of your God and be comforted. With my last idea; I shall cherish the sweet hope of meeting you in a better world.'**_

One look at the boat and Eliza let out a cry that would make a cherub weep. Angelica wrapped her arms around the younger Schuyler as her cries echoed across the silent harbor. She was almost sure Eliza's cries could be heard across the Hudson.

The bullet had entered Alexander's lower abdomen above his right hip. The doctor that was at the duel said he was still 'alive' but he wouldn't be for long. For now, he was paralyzed. All they could do was wait, and pray for his soul to be accepted in whatever plane of existence came next.

 _ **'Adieu best of wives and best of Women. Embrace all my darling Children for me.**_

 _ **Ever yours**_

 _ **A. H.'**_

 **July 12, 1804**

Eliza hadn't slept a wink. She stayed up all night, watching Alexander's chest raise slowly before deflating. She'd count the seconds between breath, sometimes getting up to ten seconds before his lungs would inflate again. She could hear the strain on him, the pain that was caused by the simple, involuntary act of breathing. His lungs deflated again, and she waited.

One...

Two...

Three...

Four...

Five...

Six...

Seven...

Eight...

Nine...

Ten...

His lungs inflated slowly. Eliza took his hand in hers and wound their fingers together carefully so as not to disrupt his lungs. Angelica watched, wiping tears from her face as she did. Eliza leaned over Alexander and pushed gentle kisses across his face. She kissed his forehead gently, closing her eyes and letting her lips hover. She kissed his tears away, his tear ducts being the only thing that seemed to work properly in his body. She pushed a long, loving, extremely gentle kiss to his lips - one last time - as she mumbled gentle 'I will always love you' against them.

His lungs deflated again, and she started counting.

One...

Two...

Three...

Four...

Five...

Six...

Seven...

Eight...

Nine...

Ten...

Eleven...

Twelve...

Tears welled again in Eliza eyes, even after she thought she was all dried up.

Thirteen...

Fourteen...

Fifteen...

Sixteen...

A part of her knew the counting was no use. At this point, they weren't going to inflate again.

Seventeen...

Eighteen...

Nineteen...

Twenty.

Eliza quietly cried, resting her head on her husband's chest. She was done counting, just as his lungs were done inflating. Her fingers, still intertwined with his, gently stroked his hand. She watched him for what felt like years. He looked like he was sleeping, and she closed her eyes, imagining that she'd open them and he'd be smiling, watching her sleep like he did nearly every morning.

However, this time when she opened her eyes, she saw him still slumbering.

Angelica and Eliza were both at his side when he died.


End file.
